Wild's Hendrickson Responds to NHL Lockout

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KBJR News 1

September 27, 2012Updated Sep 27, 2012 at 8:57 PM CDT

Duluth, MN (Northland's NewsCenter) --- Minnesota Wild assistant coach Darby Hendrickson was part of the NHL labor stoppage in 2004-05 that canceled an entire season, and now he's part of the current lockout as a coach.

Hendrickson said with the influx of new talent into the Minnesota organization this season, namely Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, it's extremely disappointing to not be on the ice preparing for the year.

"It's tough. A lot of people are asking if the season will start on time, and it's unknown at this point," Hendrickson said. "From a coaching staff angle, we're preparing as if we'll start on time."

The NHL office on Thursday canceled the remainder of the preseason, with the first regular season games scheduled for October 11.

"A lot of players are involved and aware of what's happening," Hendrickson said of the dispute between NHL owners and the NHL Players' Association. "We're all just hoping they can figure it out so we can get on the ice and get going."